RECALLED - Request for Proposals: Transportation Planning and Design Firms for Safe Routes to School Technical Assistance
The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the San Mateo County Office of Education Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program has been recalled as of 10/11/24. We will be re-issuing two separate RFPs – one for the School Travel Fellowship and one for Slow Streets Speed Zone, SRTS Community Advisory Committee, School Streets Pilot Project and SRTS Technical Assistance.
We appreciate the interest shown so far and will provide details for each new RFP on this webpage as soon as they are finalized. Please stay tuned for further communication regarding these opportunities. We are confident that separating the scopes will allow for a clearer focus and ensure that each project can be delivered successfully. If you have any questions, please email srts@smcoe.org
Safe Routes to School
San Mateo County
Our Mission
San Mateo County Safe Routes to School encourages and enables school children to walk and bicycle to school by implementing projects and activities that improve the health, well-being, and safety of children, which result in less traffic congestion and emissions caused by school-related travel.
Our Vision
The efforts of Safe Routes to School in San Mateo County result in less traffic congestion around schools, improved air quality, a greener, healthier community and an increase in self-reliance among San Mateo County children who walk and bike to school. Safe Routes to School is the catalyst for teaching children traffic safety skills and encouraging them to take an active mode of transportation to school. San Mateo County communities support this initiative with infrastructure that provides safe passage for children.
Why Safe Routes to School?
Today, fewer than 15 percent of children nationwide walk or bike to school. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - CDCP). Rates of severe childhood obesity are three times higher than they were 30 years ago, putting children at higher risk of premature death and several chronic diseases (CDCP). Converting more school trips to walking and biking is a cost-effective way to reduce peak period congestion and improve local air quality. 20% to 30% of morning rush hour traffic can be attributed to parents driving their children to school. School children and employees are exposed to higher levels of pollutants associated with increased asthma rates and other respiratory problems when these vehicles sit idling during pick-up and drop-off periods.
The Safe Routes to School program provides training, resources, and customized support at no cost to participating schools. It does so by working with districts and school administrations, wellness coordinators, parents, teachers, and local community-based organizations to encourage over 47,000 San Mateo County students to be active and have a healthy start to the school day, which will in turn reduce traffic congestion, and improve the environmental health of our communities.
Newsletters
Keep up with the happenings of the San Mateo County Office of Education Safe Routes to School Program by signing up for the newsletters through this link!
Program Elements
SRTS School San Mateo County is modeled after the National Safe Routes to School Program, which focuses activities around a 6E framework focused on education, encouragement, engineering, enforcement, evaluation, and equity. Together, the activities create a comprehensive, integrated approach to safe transportation in public education.
- Education: Providing students and the community with the skills to walk and bicycle safely, educating them about the benefits of walking and bicycling, and teaching them about the broad range of transportation choices.
- Encouragement: Generating enthusiasm and increased walking and bicycling for students through events, activities, and programs.
- Engagement: Listening to students, families, teachers and school leaders, and working with existing community organizations to build ongoing and intentional engagement events into the program structure.
- Engineering: Creating physical improvements to streets and neighborhoods that make walking and bicycling safer, more comfortable, and more convenient.
- Evaluation: Assessing which approaches are more or less successful, ensuring that programs and initiatives are supporting equitable outcomes, and identifying unintended consequences or opportunities to improve the effectiveness of each approach.
- Equity: Ensuring that Safe Routes to School initiatives are benefiting all demographic groups, with particular attention to ensuring safe, healthy, and fair outcomes for low-income students, students of color, students of all genders, students with disabilities, and others.
Community Involvement
In addition to organizing encouragement events with schools, the Safe Routes to School Program also hosts and participates in many community events with the goal of elevating the quality of life within our communities by way of improving air quality, creating a greener, healthier environment, and increasing self-reliance within San Mateo County. Below are a few examples:
Safe Routes to School Reporting
You can find various reports and data collections conducted and created by the San Mateo County Office of Education Safe Routes to School Program below:
Theresa Vallez-Kelly
Coordinator, Safe Routes to School
Email: tvkelly@smcoe.org
Phone: (650) 802-5429